Hydrocodone, is a semi-synthetic opioid derived from two of the naturally occurring opiates: codeine and thebaine. As a narcotic, hydrocodone relieves pain by binding to opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord.

Hydrocodone in popular culture

In the TV series House, Dr. Gregory House exhibits and admits to a high dependence on Vicodin to treat chronic pain resulting from past muscle infarction in his right thigh.

In the TV series The Book of Daniel, Daniel Webster is dependent on hydrocodone.

In the TV series Baywatch (episode Hijacked, season 8, episode 11) the character Neely Capshaw (Gena Lee Nolin) suffers from a Vicodin dependency.

In the book Generation Rx by Greg Critser, the author talks about a friend, who is an executive at a major studio, that has "Vicodin Fridays" with the entire staff.

In the film Just Friends, the mother of the protagonist exhibits euphoric and often loopy characteristics, a behavioral malady later attributed to her Vicodin consumption.

In the film The Ring, when Katie's mother calls, her friend Becca (spending the night at Katie's house), asks her to ask her mother "where she keeps the Vicodin".

In the TV series General Hospital, Lucky Spencer and Alan Quartermaine have both developed and recovered from hydrocodone dependency. In 1999, Stuart Damon won a "Best Supporting Actor" Emmy award for his portrayal of Dr. Quartermaine's addiction.

In the TV series Two and a Half Men, Charlie constructs a sewed picture saying "God Bless Vicodin".